Fight For You
by TheBluePill
Summary: World famous MMA fighter meets low-life drug abuser...or, they reunite. Rated M for various trigger warnings, also swearing and sexual content. Mainly Jori with minor Bat as well.
1. Rough Start

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: So I've had this idea ever since 28 December, 2013, the exact reason why will be explained later. In light of recent events, I've dug up this story idea and began working on it again. I'm testing out a different format, so let me know how you like this one.  
><strong>

**A plethora of trigger warnings in the coming chapters. I'll try not to go into a ton of detail on most of it but keep in mind this isn't light. **

* * *

><p><strong>Jade's POV<strong>

I can feel the familiar burn in every corner of my body even with the freezing rain pouring down on me. Water trickles down my cheeks as if I were crying, even down my neck, over my shoulders, across my chest. I'm soaked from head to toe but that's barely a concern. My deep breaths are creating miniature clouds in front of my face and the rain drips off of my eyelashes, as if nature _really_ didn't want me to see anything. I drag my forearm over my face for at least temporary clear vision and continue running.

When I left it was about 67 degrees outside, but as the sun slowly started to rise higher in the sky, the frigid air was getting slightly less unbearable. Beck had always told me not to leave before the sun came up, but that wastes too much time. Every time my feet connected with the rain-soaked road, water splashed up around my ankles like it felt I wasn't already wet enough. As I approach a busy intersection, I was forced to pause to avoid getting personal with someone's front bumper as they blazed down the street. When he notices me stopping, my loyal dog halts as well, standing by my side awaiting his cue to run again. I pull the hair band off of my wrist and put my hair up in a loose ponytail to keep it away from my face, something I should've done about 7 miles ago, but whatever.

I kneel down to retie one of my shoes as I waited for the light to change. A solid stream of cars passed through the green light, all with their windows up to protect their precious selves from the rain. Finally a red light grants me permission to cross the road without getting hit. Around the 10th mile my house came into view. Well, the huge fence and multiple trees surrounding it came into view.

I grab a towel from by the door and drape it over my shoulders, kneeling down to take off my soaked shoes and socks, followed by the tie in my hair, allowing me to dry it at least a little bit with the towel. All the while my dog sat next to me, wagging his tail. I smile a bit at him and grab his towel to wipe off his paws and get some of the water out of his fur.

After drying off enough to be able to get to my room, I left my shoes by the door and kept the towel, leaving the front room and passing through the living area to go up to my room. I saw my roommates and trainers, Beck and Andre, along with my best friend Robbie all sitting around on the couches.

"Hey Jade, what'd you run?" Beck asks me as I walk past.

"About 10 miles," I call over my shoulder

Robbie hops up and comes over to my side, "It's been raining ever since you left, you feel alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm gonna get changed and we can start."

"Jade!" I barely heard Beck yell out just as I was about to go up the stairs.

I turn around and go back to the living room, raising an eyebrow at him "Yes?"

"Is it cool if my girlfriend comes over later?"

"How much later?" I ask, continuing to dry my hair off.

He checks his watch, "She wanted to stop by after she went to visit her friend. Says she checks on her around 2 every day."

I shrug and mumble an "okay" before going up to my room to change. It was only after I closed the door to my room that I caught the fact he said she "checks on" her friend, which I thought was strange.

Around 4 in the afternoon was when Beck's girlfriend finally stopped by, coming down into the basement, a _lot_ quieter than usual. I was used to her constant chipper, and this subdued demeanor was off-putting. Oddly, she seemed to be watching me closely for reasons unknown.

Beck said something before I did, catching her attention while we took a break from our drills, "You alright babe? You seem off."

She shook her head, "Just a lot on my mind."

Andre pats her shoulder with his ever present smile, "What's on your mind, Cat?"

"It's just…" She stops and thinks for a moment, as if she suddenly forgot what she was going to say, or lost the nerve to say it. Finally she seemed to get herself together and look straight into my eyes, "Jade, do you or _did you_ know a Tori Vega?"

I froze, my grip on my water bottle nearly crushing it.

_**Flashback**_

"_So you're going to be doing what? Recreational face punching?" She nearly screams, tossing the wadded up flier into my locker_

_I shrugged, "I guess. If it's up to me I'll do most of the punching though."_

_She pointed at me as I slammed my locker shut, "You're crazy."_

_I smirked and kissed her cheek, making her blush, "Crazy for you."_

"_Shut up," Tori mumbled around a shy smile._

_**End of Flashback**_

"No."

* * *

><p><em><strong>A few hours earlier<strong>_

**Tori's POV**

_I hate mornings._

_I think its morning._

_Probably not._

I roll over and check my phone, which now runs on military time, since I could never distinguish whether it meant AM or PM, and god knows I wasn't able to keep track myself. I see it's around 2 in the afternoon and sigh, deciding it's about time to drag my sorry ass out of bed. I throw on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top before grabbing my phone and going out to the living area of my flat, stopping in the hallway to look around and make sure Steven isn't home. I sigh in relief when I see he isn't, uncapping a bottle of tequila from the coffee table and making myself comfortable on the couch, grabbing the little baggie from the hallowed-out section of a book sitting near the alcohol.

Just as I'm splitting the coke into lines for my usual morning, or afternoon, pickup, I hear a key unlocking my door, and my friend's voice from behind it, "I'm coming in!"

I roll my eyes and ignore her, snorting up the first line and enunciating my pitiful nature with a swig of tequila.

"Really? Coke and alcohol already? You just woke up, didn't you?" Cat scolded me as soon as she walked in.

"Fuck off," I mumbled, scooting over a bit to make room for her.

Cat sighed, "I'll ignore your usual afternoon chipper and tell you _all _about the date I had last night."

I was thankful for the distraction and grabbed my bottle and sat back, facing her, "Enlighten me."

She smiled brightly, "Okay so, I was at the bar the other night and ran into this guy, his name's Beck, and we immediately hit it off," I took another drink, "We talked for like, two hours afterwards, and he asked for my number. Few days ago he called and asked if I wanted to go out with him, and I was like hell yeah let's tear up the town. Guy picks me up at my apartment in this sleek ass car, and takes me out to this fancy pants restaurant, letting me order whatever I wanted, I mean this dude is _loaded_." Another drink, "Eventually I ask him what he does for a living, since he's got cash falling from the fuckin' sky. Apparently he's a trainer for a world-famous MMA fighter and gets a good chunk of her winnings…"

Her voice faded after that. I think she continued talking, but I couldn't hear her over my own raging thoughts.

_**Flashback**_

_I drummed my fingers impatiently on the locker nearest to the office, thinking up all of the possible horrible punishments she could be facing right now. I ran my fingers through my hair and glanced at the clock next to the office doors, 2 minutes until lunch was over, 4 minutes for passing period…_

_The door opened and she exited, looking as unperturbed as she did going in. I immediately went up to her and grabbed her arm, "What happened?"_

_She shrugged, continuing on to her locker and pulling me with her, "Mr. Allen says I need to vent my anger in some other way than punching people in the face at school. So the next best option? Obviously punching people in the face in a controlled environment."_

_I raised a curious eyebrow and she handed me the now folded up paper she had in her hand as she turned to her locker, putting in the combination. I glanced at the paper, a flier for a new MMA gym opening up near her house. She continued on as she grabbed her books for algebra and science, "He said he knew the guy who owns the place, and would put in a good word for me, so we'll see how that goes."_

_**End of Flashback**_

"Are you listening?" Cat asked, exasperated.

I shook my head, "I zoned out, sorry."

"Well anyway," she continued as if nothing were wrong, "Apparently Beck lives with this girl, which was a huge red flag right off the bat. Luckily she's a lesbian, I guess, and she's never shown an interest in him in the 5 or 6 years they've known each other."

I shrugged and took another drink, "I mean if she likes pussy then you're more of a threat than he is."

"I get that but like, lesbians like penetration, right? What's the difference?"

"There's a big difference, babe," I snorted, standing up and heading to my kitchen to make myself something to eat. "Besides, if they _live_ together and nothing's happened so far, nothing's _going_ to happen. I mean, how old are they?"

She followed closely behind me, "He's 25, and she's the same age as you I think, around 22."

I hesitated a moment, "Wh…What's her name?"

"Jade West, she's got a contract with SFC."

_**Flashback**_

"_Ja-Jade! Stop!" I giggled, trying to wrestle out of her tickling grasp. Eventually I got out from under her, but her superior strength and now training didn't allow much further, and I soon found myself pinned beneath her again._

"_I win," she smirked._

_I tried to catch my breath and shook my head, "Are you surprised?"_

_Jade shrugged, "Not particularly."_

_She got up and held out a hand to me, I sighed and grabbed it, "You know, some day when you're a rich and famous fighter, remember the first person who's ass you whipped."_

"_How could I forget?" She smiled, not bothering to let go of my hand._

_**End of Flashback**_

I swallowed hard and shook my head, "I think you should go."

"Are you sure?" Cat asked, "You don't seem like you're doing so well."

"I'm not."

She crossed her arms, "I'm not leaving if it's going to put you in danger."

I groaned and threw my hands up, "Fine! Then monitor me, I don't give a fuck!"

I headed towards my bedroom, fully aware that Cat was right behind me. She grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, "Tor, what's wrong with you?"

"I can't deal with this, okay?" I shook my head, continuing on to my closet and into my stash.

"Can't deal with what?!"

"SHUT UP!" I snapped, standing up and getting in her face. I always tried so hard to keep my temper in check around her but right now it was near impossible. "Just shut up, okay? I will explain when I'm not on the verge of completely losing my sanity, now if you don't want to see this, go wait in the living room."

Cat sighed, putting her hands up in surrender and leaving my room. I went back to the box in my closet and grabbed a fresh needle along with the little bottle.

A few minutes later, feeling better but still shitty, I left my room and went back out to the living room, seeing that Cat was lounging on my couch using her phone. I grabbed my bottle of tequila from the kitchen and joined her.

She looked up from her phone at me expectantly. I knew what she wanted.

"I used to know Jade. That's all."

She'd have to wait.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Cover image is an edited picture of Ronda Rousey, current UFC women's bantamweight champion, and who I took inspiration from for Jade's character. Leave a review and let me know how this story's looking so far...**


	2. Tori's Life

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: This chapter is entirely centered around Tori, the next will be about Jade, and afterwards will be a joint chapter - so on and so forth.**

**Trigger warnings for domestic abuse/sexual assault in this chapter.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Cat: Can I come back over?<strong>_

I looked up at Steven sitting on the other side of the couch counting a large stack of money and bit my lip, suppressing a sigh as I sent her a text back.

_**Tori: Not right now  
><strong>_

"So what did you do today?" Steven asked, not even bothering to offer me a glance.

I knew I wasn't allowed to have people over, so I lied, "Slept til 2, talked to a friend for a bit on the computer, ate dinner, and then you came home."

Steven glared at me now, "What friend?"

"Cat," I managed to choke out, flinching at the way he looked at me.

He scoffed, going back to sorting his money, "She's the freaky redhead dating the pretty boy, yeah?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything without crying or screaming or something else embarrassing and dangerous.

"Bet he's got an itching for a hit," he grinned.

I cautiously shook my head, "He's a trainer for a professional athlete, I doubt he'd have any interest in drugs."

"They all have a dark side," he sighed, tossing the bills onto the coffee table and standing up, "Come on."

"Why?"

He took off his shirt and threw it to the side, "You still owe me for last week."

I stood up and followed him back to our bedroom, trying to lose myself in happier thoughts as I desperately fought to keep myself together as he helped himself to my body. I was thankful for the fact he never seemed to last long, as he had rolled off of me and turned his back before I was through recalling a particularly fun day in 7th grade.

If there was one thing I'd learned from him, it's that if I was quiet and obedient, the punishment, or payment, as he called it, would never be as bad in the moment. I put my hands over my face and paid close attention to his breathing, waiting until he was fast asleep before I crept out of bed and threw on some clothes, leaving the bedroom. I grabbed my phone and sent a text to Cat.

_**Tori: I need to come over**_

By now she knew what that meant and kept her door unlocked for me. I wrote a note for Steven, hoping it would lessen some of his anger upon seeing I was gone if he were to wake up early. I quickly threw on my jacket and picked up my keys off the coffee table, leaving the flat and going down to the garage.

I heard my phone buzz with a text and checked it at a stoplight.

_**Cat: Door's open**_

I tossed my phone back into the cup holder and wiped the tears from my face, still trying to hold myself together. I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take.

The drive to Cat's flat was fairly short, and I was there in a matter of minutes. I wasn't sure what I was going to tell her this time. I was running out of excuses as to why I'd come crying to her in the middle of the night with various bruises when, to her knowledge, I lived alone.

When I got up to her door, I knocked once before opening it, seeing she was in the kitchen finishing up making some coffee. She smiled sadly at me as I walked in. I knew I looked insanely disheveled, I always did. I took off my shoes and jacket and sat down on the couch, welcoming the blanket and cup of coffee she offered me.

"So are you going to tell me the truth this time?" She asked once I was settled.

"I don't want to see you get hurt," I mumbled around the rim of my mug.

"It's not that easy on my end either, sweetie. I promise I won't do anything you don't want me to, just please tell me what's going on."

I sighed and shook my head. I wasn't sure what to say. I was afraid if she knew anything, Steven would send his thugs after her, and that was the last thing I wanted. I also knew there wasn't a whole lot more of his abuse I could take in silence. I opted for another subject entirely, "You talked to Jade?"

Cat looked at me oddly, caught off-guard by the question, but accepting my unwillingness to talk about it. "I did. I went over there yesterday after I left your place, like I said I would. They kept asking why I was so quiet, and I eventually just straight up asked her if she ever knew a Tori Vega."

I was afraid to know, "And?"

"She said…" Cat sighed, and I knew the answer. "She tensed up, nearly crushed the water bottle she was holding, and she just said…no."

I put my mug down on the end table behind me and buried my head in my cocoon of a blanket. Cat rubbed my back comfortingly, "Sweetie what happened between you two?"

I looked up at her concerned face and shook my head, "So much… So many words I can't take back, so many actions I can't change, so many things I wish were different but I'm just so prone to fucking everything up…" I smiled a little, "She was so perfect though…"

_**Flashback**_

_I groaned miserably as I left my English class, going down the stairs and crossing the hall to go to my locker. I smiled uncontrollably when I looked up and saw Jade leaning against my locker. She stepped to the side so I could get to the lock and took my books from me, as she had a habit of doing._

"_How was English?" She asked as I put in the combination and opened my locker._

"_I got a ridiculous assignment that I'm probably going to bomb, as usual," I grunted, tossing my books in and grabbing the ones I needed for the second half of the day._

_She smirked, "What is it this time?"_

"_Something about an essay on a famous person I admire. I don't even know who I'd write about."_

"_Alright, genius, let's start at the easiest bit. Who's someone famous that you admire?"_

_I grinned and shut my locker, "Can I say you in the next 15 years?"_

"_I'm hurt that you really think it'll take 15 years," she joked, grabbing my book and walking by my side down to the cafeteria._

_I shrugged, "You're right, I give you 10, champ."_

_**End of Flashback**_

Cat had a grin on her face as she sipped her coffee, "You should work on being a little more inconspicuous when you think about her."

"Bite me," I mumbled.

She set down her cup and grabbed my hands, looking right at me, "Alright, I'm not giving you a choice now. What's going on and why do you come to my house nearly every night in tears?"

I flinch away from her grip on my wrist, sighing and pushing up my sleeves so she can see the bruises on my arms. I let her draw her own conclusions.

Cat looked at them closely before shaking her head, "Tori, these are handprints."

I tried to keep the tears back but I couldn't help it now, "He beats me…"

"Who? Who's doing this to you?"

I pulled her into a hug and just sat there for a moment, trying to calm myself down enough to speak, "It's Steven. I lied. He lives with me."

"Why do you stay with him?"

I laughed humorlessly, "How do you think I get all those drugs?"

She frowned and very softly ran her thumb over my cheek near my eye, looking at her thumb, "Concealer? You've got a black eye don't you?"

"I'd be genuinely surprised if I didn't," I admitted. I glanced at the clock on the TV and sighed, "I should probably get home before he wakes up."

I was happy that Cat let me go, "Promise you'll come back if you need to? You have a home here if you need it."

I hugged her as tight as my injuries would allow, "Thanks Cat."

I felt exponentially better on the drive home. It was about 3 in the morning, so I knew I would probably be okay to sneak back in. It was still dark when I walked in, so I knew Steven was asleep. I quickly went to the kitchen and tossed the note I wrote into the sink, grabbing a lighter and burning it to make sure he didn't know I was gone. I made myself a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch, grabbing my laptop from the coffee table. I stared at my home screen for at least 5 minutes trying to get up the courage to do what I wanted to do. Finally I took a deep breath and opened my internet browser, going to the search engine.

_**"****Jade West"**_

The suggested options were typical of celebrities; various social media links, news stories, her upcoming fights, and things of the like. I just went with her name first and clicked on her official SFC fighter page. I couldn't help but smile when I saw her fighter nickname was "the Panther."

_**Flashback**_

_I lounged lazily on the couch in Jade's basement room watching her gather up all of her dirty clothes so she can do her laundry._

"_There's a shirt under your bed," I called over to her, pointing to where the shirt was._

_She got down on her stomach to dig the shirt out, jumping up and tossing that into the basket as well._

_I couldn't help but notice the way she always moved, so elegant yet she looked as if at any moment she could pounce and kill someone. "You know, you kind of remind me of a panther."_

_Jade chuckled and put the basket of clothes by the door, "Why do you say that?"_

_I shrugged, "Just the way you move makes you look like a cat. Then add in your hair and the fact you always wear black and boom, panther."_

"_Do you like panthers?" She teased me._

"_I always thought they were really beautiful, honestly. That's another reason why it fits you." Usually I never had enough confidence to say things like that, but the light blush on her cheeks made it worth it._

_She shook her head but couldn't hold back her smile, "You're full of shit, Vega."_

"_I'm serious!" I defended, "You are literally a panther in human form."_

_She did nothing to help her case of not being a panther when she stalked over to me and laid down right on top of me, tapping my nose with her forefinger, "Panthers can kill."_

_I grinned and wrapped my arms around her and rolled on top of her, "They also look super cuddly!"_

"_No!" She screamed, though she barely fought against me, even though both she and I knew she'd win, "I'm a creature of death!"_

"_Oh shut up, you big cuddly kitty cat," I teased, leaning down to kiss her._

_Jade smiled at me and hooked her hand around the back of my neck, pulling me back down to her._

_**End of Flashback**_

I shook my head and sighed, looking further through her page. I saw her MMA record was 15-0, and her SFC record was 5-0, which made me smile even more. Even though I was sure she hated every fiber of my being, I was incredibly proud of her, more so when I looked at her picture and saw she was holding the women's title, something she'd always dreamed of.

I moved on to videos of her fights, starting with the most recent and moving backwards. I must've completely lost track of time watching her, as before I even realized what time it was, I heard Steven's voice behind me, "What are you watching?"

I struggled to hold my composure and offer an acceptable response, "Cat's boyfriend is a trainer for a professional athlete, like I told you, and she sent me a video of one of the fights."

He nodded and went to the kitchen to make some coffee, coming back into the living room and sitting in the chair next to the couch, looking at me expectantly. I put my laptop down and gave him my full attention, as I knew he wanted.

"I went over your records, and you owe me," he told me.

My brows furrowed in confusion, "What? I thought we settled that…"

Steven crossed his arms, "You didn't really think sex would give you free drugs forever, did you? Such a stupid little girl, aren't you. Maybe if you'd bothered to finish high school, you'd be a little smarter, yeah?"

I flinched at that. He _knew_ that was a sensitive topic for me, and exploited it whenever he felt it necessary. I closed my eyes and linked my fingers together, "How much do I owe you?"

"Let's say 50 grand and we'll call it even."

My eyes flew open in shock and I completely forgot my 'manners' as I sputtered out a shocked response, "But I don't have a job! How am I supposed to get 50 grand?!"

His eyes filled with fire and he lunged at me, roughly gripping my face with one hand while he pointed at me with the other as he pinned me to the couch, "You fucking watch your tone with me, bitch! You get me 50 grand, or you have a choice between being sold as a fuck toy or having your body being lost at the bottom of the ocean."

I nodded quickly and he backhanded me across the face, standing up and smoothing out his shirt, "You have one month."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Next chapter we'll be returning to Jade's life. Reviews are always great.**


	3. Jade's Routine

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: This one's a bit shorter, but I hope it's enjoyable anyway.**

* * *

><p>"Throw the combo then dodge. 1, 2, 1, 2, dodge, got it?"<p>

Beck put his hands back up and nodded at me. I threw the combo one more time, dodging right at the end before jumping backwards to avoid further hypothetical strikes. My trainer Randy nodded and signaled for another go at it, "Quicker on that dodge. She's gonna throw a hit right after you get that combo through, need to dodge the initial strike then jump back like you were doing. Jump the opposite way of your dodge though."

"Randy she's going to break my hands if you make her run this too many times," Beck whined.

He chuckled and slapped my back, "Easier on those strikes, kid, can't be breaking him yet."

I shrugged and looked back to Beck, waiting for his nod before running through it again. Randy smiled, "That was nearly fucking perfect!"

Andre looked over to Randy, "What do you say, man? Think she's got what it takes to beat Zeno and get into the big leagues?"

"I want to say yes, but you've gotta keep in mind who Zeno is. She's probably the most unorthodox fighter you've gone up against. You're a ground fighter, and I'm sure she knows that. You've got to make sure you can hold your own standing up if you need to."

Beck glanced at his watch, "I'm sure that can wait for tomorrow. It's getting late."

"Alright, fine, you're free. Hey kid, mind if I crash here tonight?" Randy asked me.

I nodded and began unwinding the tape from my hands, "You're always welcome here."

He patted my shoulder, "Thanks, see you in the morning, champ."

I watched the three guys leave; barely noticing that I hadn't moved after Randy had said that, muttering quietly to myself, "Champ…"

I wouldn't let myself remember the specifics of every time Tori had ever called me that. It was too painful. I sighed and went upstairs to grab a water bottle before going up to my room. After showering I settled in bed, putting my phone on the charger and turning off the lights before going to sleep.

I woke up screaming, my dog huddled close to me, nudging me to wake me from my nightmare. I opened my eyes and looked at him giving me the most concerned look a dog could muster before he licked my arm and rubbed his head on me affectionately.

"Thanks buddy," I muttered into his fur.

I laid there for quite a while thinking about my nightmare. It was the same one I'd been having for so long, off and on most nights. Eventually my alarm went off and I got out of bed, determined not to let my weaknesses affect my training. I checked the weather before putting on my usual running gear, tying my shoes before gesturing for my dog to follow me downstairs. He sat next to the side door and waited for me open the door before running out, taking his usual morning bathroom break while I grabbed my headphones and set up my playlist. I decided to run 15 miles today to get a little more blood pumping and get my mind off of trivial worries.

Once I got back home, I went to the kitchen where Andre was just finishing up my breakfast, like clockwork. He set a plate of bacon, eggs, and fruit in front of me along with a cup of coffee.

I smiled gratefully at him and he nodded, grabbing his own coffee and sitting down perpendicular to me, "How was your run?"

I shrugged and waited until I finished chewing before answering, "It was alright, nothing to write home about. Hey, can I ask you something?"

He nodded, "What's on your mind?"

"You know about dreams and stuff, right?"

"A little, why?"

"What do you know about dreams in which falling is kind of the main part of it?"

He pursed his lips and thought a second, "If I recall correctly, it represents uncertainty in a specific part of your life. Usually details, such as where you're falling from, who let you fall, or who was near the place you fell, give you more of an idea as to where the uncertainty is stemming from."

I frowned, "So if there's a specific person who's allowing me to fall, then they're where the uncertainty is coming from?"

"Most likely. That or it comes from something with their involvement in your life, such as a role or a purpose they serve that your subconscious feels they aren't fulfilling or will end up not fulfilling."

I put down my fork and looked at him, "Alright, I'm going to go all teenage melodrama on you for a second. Say there was a certain flame from my past that I have these dreams about. What would that mean?"

Andre took a sip of his coffee and shrugged, "Well, if it ended badly, your subconscious is trying to tell you that there are certain things that you're still not over; be it feelings you still have for them or grudges you may be holding against them. Typically, dreams about old lovers are triggered by a significant event that part of you feels didn't end the way it should have, or involves unfinished business."

"In short?"

"Two possible things. Maybe three. One, you still love them. Two, you hate them. Or three, you hate that you still love them."

I exhaled heavily and drank the last of my coffee, "Well since you put it that way, I know what my deal is now."

He patted my back, "You gonna be alright?"

I shook my head, "I don't know, but to be honest I've never really known if I'll be okay. I'm gonna go do my morning workout."

"You need a spotter?"

"Nah, I'll stay off the weights for now."

It was over an hour later before Randy came downstairs, he took one look at me and I knew Andre had told him something. He smiled a bit and stood next to the weight bench I was sitting on, "Something you wanna talk about?"

I shrugged, "Depends, what'd he tell you?"

Randy shook his head, "Nothing, he just mentioned you may have some things to get off your chest is all."

I loved Randy. He'd been one of my closest friends as long as he's been my trainer and almost like a father to me. I liked to talk to him when I had things on my mind, as he always gave good advice and his British accented voice was nice to listen to. "It's just this reoccurring nightmare, is all."

He began getting out the gauze and tape needed in my usual taping as he asked, "Yeah? What about?"

"Stuff," I muttered.

He chuckled and straddled the bench in front of me, gesturing for me to hold out my hand. I did so and he began wrapping up my left hand, "Is it about that girl?"

I shrugged but didn't answer. "There was a bit of a dry spell with those nightmares, wasn't there? What happened?"

"Cat came over the other day," I sighed, focusing on his hands moving quickly over my own, "She asked me if I ever knew her. You know how I get, and I just said no. I'm sure Cat went back to her with that, and to be honest, I don't know how I feel about it."

Randy ripped the tape and patted it down before taking my right hand, "So you miss her."

It wasn't even a question, it was a statement, because he knew the answer. "I mean…Of course I do. It's not like just because she abandoned me that I stopped loving her."

"Only a madman would look upon an issue and think it insignificant; as even the minor worries become something bigger later on," he finished taping up my hands and smiled at me, "You have a fighter's instinct; it flows through your veins as naturally as blood. Just like when you're in that octagon, you let your conscious take a backseat and you let your instincts guide you. Do what you think is right, and you'll win."

I smiled, "Thanks Randy."

He patted my arm, "Assume your stance, it's time to spar."

As per the norm the past few months, we trained all day, hitting on all the weaknesses I showed during sparring to sharpen my skills even further. At dinner time, I was sitting around the island in the kitchen with Beck, Randy, and Robbie discussing my upcoming training regimen while Andre finished up the meal. Since he liked cooking more than the rest of us, he was the unofficial chef of the house, while Beck was the one who kept track of all of my health details, making sure I was in top condition 24/7.

Once we started eating, Beck got a phone call and didn't bother to get up before answering, "Hello?"

We barely paid attention as he seemed to keep up casual conversation with Cat, until the conversation took an odd turn.

"Why do you need money?...How much are we talking here?...50 grand? That's quite a bit, what's it for?...Alright, fine, meet me tomorrow and I'll give you the check. Yep, I'll talk to you later, night babe."

He hung up and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Robbie just chuckled, "50 grand huh? What's she doing, buying drugs?"

Beck shrugged, "Wouldn't say, but promised it was important and that she'd explain later. 50 grand isn't a whole lot and I trust her, so whatever."

We finished up dinner and discussed the training schedule for the next week before we split off to our separate bedrooms, Robbie and Randy both heading home. I lay in bed for quite a bit with my dog casually licking his paws next to me, just letting my mind wander.

_**Flashback**_

"_I'll be fine, I promise."_

_She frowned and just cuddled up closer, "I know, but I don't like the idea of you fighting with someone, even if it is just for fun."_

_I sighed and kissed the top of her head, "Everything will be alright, you can even come watch me kick ass."_

"_I always do, you know that. I wouldn't miss one of your fights for anything."_

"_Hey babe?" I asked, and she looked up at me curiously, "Would you still like me if I lost tomorrow?"_

_She smiled and kissed me, "I'd like you no matter what. I'm your biggest fan, remember?"_

_**End of Flashback**_

"Yeah…" I muttered, "I remember."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Andre's dream knowledge came from some advice I received some odd number of years ago when I was having similar dreams. Let me know how this chapter was.**


	4. The Drugs Don't Work

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: So this took a _lot_ longer than I planned. My keyboard's almost completely useless at this point, so most of this was written on my phone, which was frustrating, to say the least. Trigger warnings in this one, be warned. Title of this chapter comes from The Verve's song of the same name. Reading up on those lyrics may give this an extra kick...  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"<em>She reached the front of the hood and started to cross in front of the Pinto, and that was when she heard a new sound. A low, thick growling…"<em>

"Honey, I'm home!" Cat's voice was like a bucket of cold water as I was suddenly ripped from my little world.

"Goddammit, Cat!" I whined; hand over my furiously thumping heart.

She grinned and sat down next to me, grabbing the book from my hands and looking at the cover, "Cujo, huh? Funny, that's the name of Ja-"

Cat didn't finish her sentence. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights before quickly shaking her head and looking back at me, running off on a tangent as if she hadn't originally said anything at all, "You look cute in glasses. Like a little delinquent librarian."

I frowned, taking off my glasses and grabbing my book back from her, setting them both on the coffee table, "What were you about to say?"

"Something about," she coughed once, "You-know-who."

I raised an eyebrow and leaned back, "You say that as if I can't handle the mention of her without going mental."

She gave me a look and I sighed, "Alright, maybe I would. But give me the benefit of the doubt once, would you?"

"You asked for it. I was going to say that Cujo is the name of Jade's dog."

I smiled.

_**Flashback**_

_We had just finished watching 'Cujo' when Jade looked up from where her head was in my lap, "You know what? When I'm older I'm gonna get a dog and name him Cujo."_

"_Saint Bernard?" I grinned._

_She shrugged, "Any breed, just going to name him Cujo."_

_I rolled my eyes and turned the TV off, "Why doesn't that surprise me?"_

"_Because you know me better than anyone?" She guessed, smirking at me._

"_That could have something to do with it."_

_**End of Flashback**_

"Can I see him?" I asked.

Cat looked surprised, but pulled her phone out of her purse and looked through it a moment, "_Just_ Cujo or…?"

I shrugged, "Whichever picture is your favorite."

She pursed her lips and looked for a minute more before turning it around and showing me. The picture was one of Jade and a black Pit Bull with a large white spot on its chest, wearing a chain collar. The dog was panting happily and Jade had a smile on her face.

"She's beautiful," I mumbled.

Out of the corner of my eye, I barely saw Cat attempting to suppress a smile, "Cujo's male."

"I know."

Cat rolled her eyes, "Why'd you two ever split if you're this smitten by her?"

I shrugged and sat back, "I ran away, and as you can see by my rather atrocious life at this moment, it didn't really work out in my favor."

"Are you ever going to tell me the whole story?"

"Maybe someday. I just…I wish things were different, you know? Not even that I wasn't living in such a shithole and didn't have such a terrible _boyfriend_, if he can even be called that. I just can't help but wonder sometimes what my life would be like if I hadn't run away from her."

Cat played with a strand of my hair absentmindedly, "How much does she hate you, do you think?"

I exhaled heavily, "Well, if I recall correctly, her last words to me were, "I hate you," and that was nearly 6 years ago now."

Her eyebrow rose, "How did she say it?"

"With tears in her eyes and choking down more pain than I ever thought imaginable in a person," I answered, not looking her in the eye.

She nodded knowingly, "I see. So it was a 'I'm in pain so I'm going to say things I don't mean in an attempt to hurt you a fraction of the amount you've hurt me' kind of statement? Sweetie I've known Jade for approximately two weeks, even so, through things her friends and trainers have said, Jade doesn't cry. Shit, the only _pain_ she's ever in is if she somehow manages to screw up during a fight and get herself hurt. I mean you must've burned her real bad to have her that upset."

I shook my head, "I know I did. To be honest, there hasn't been a day that's gone by when I haven't regretted what I did. I wouldn't blame her for hating me. I hate me too. I'm a drug addict living in the shittiest part of Los Angeles, not making a living for myself but mooching off of someone who doesn't even like me."

Cat didn't falter one bit, "I'm sorry, I don't remember RSVPing for this pity party. Listen to me, how about instead of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, you get your shit together and do something with your life?"

"What am I supposed to do?!" I snapped.

"Do anything except work on your track-mark mosaic and turning the entirety of your internal organs into inoperable lumps of shit. Come on, Vega, you're better than this. I know it, and deep down, you know it too," she paused and waited until I was looking at her before continuing, "And if you ever want a chance of having any sort of meaningful relationship with Jade again, it'd be good to do something with yourself first. You know successful women like to be in relationships with people who are at least attempting success."

Cat stood up and tossed an envelope onto the coffee table, "I've got a date with Beck tonight so I can't stick around. Just think about it. You know I love you, and I'm on your side. But that doesn't mean I'm above kicking your ass into gear if you goof around too long."

She gave me one last smile before closing the door behind her. I picked up the envelope and looked inside, seeing a large stack of bills, after counting, it amounted up to 50 grand even. I put it back down and sighed.

I grabbed a pen and quickly wrote Steven's name on the envelope before leaving it in clear view. I went to our bedroom and reached under the bed, pulling out an old shoebox.

I rolled myself a couple joints and sat back on my bed. I took a long hit and stared at the wall for a good 5 minutes before I finally burst into tears.

"_Pretending like nothing ever happened isn't going to change anything!"_

I somehow managed to smoke around my bawling, my tears almost putting it out multiple times.

"_You're a fucking hypocrite! I fucking thought we had something!"_

I nearly choked when it somehow slipped my mind that at some point I had to stop inhaling.

"_You can't ignore me forever!"_

I threw the little bud out the window and lit up another.

"_Just fucking talk to me, please. I don't even know what I did wrong. God fucking dammit, I miss you."_

I took a swig of whatever alcohol was still sitting on my bedside table.

"_Why, Tori? Why are you doing this?"_

I threw the empty bottle against the wall, watching as it shattered into millions of tiny pieces.

"_I thought you loved me."_

I grabbed the needle from the box and filled it with however much of the drug I happened to drag out of the little bottle.

"_I fucking loved you."_

I looked at it once, seeing there were at least 3 CCs in it.

"_You were everything to me."_

"Fuck it," I mumbled, shoving the needle into my arm.

"_You broke my fucking heart."_

"I'm sorry, Jade," I whispered as the last of the heroin disappeared into my body.

"_I hate you."_

I lay down on my side, clutching my pillow and soaking it with my tears, "I'm so sorry."

* * *

><p><strong>No one's POV<strong>

"It's not that much of a stretch is it?" Cat tried, smiling sheepishly when Beck just gave her a disbelieving look.

"Babe I get that you want this to be some romantic fairy-tale, but I just don't know. Jade's focusing on the big Zeno fight coming up. I'm not sure if throwing this on her is a good idea right now."

Cat shrugged, "What's so important about this fight anyway?"

"If she wins this fight, she's getting into the big leagues. We've worked out all of the details, and if she beats Zeno, SFC is going to offer her a contract into the main division. Sure, she'll have to vacate the title, but if she goes through with this she'll be in the fast lane to the SFC division one championship, and essentially, the best pound-for-pound female mixed martial artist in the _world_."

"Okay so stuff and things, super important fight. Got it. But I mean, _afterwards_?"

Beck sighed, "I'll see, alright? No promises."

She frowned but didn't argue. A few minutes later, Beck pulled into the driveway and shut off his car, "Would you like to come inside? Watch a movie or something?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice," she smiled, trying to get her mind off of the stress.

They managed to get both Randy and Andre to watch the movie with them, but Jade wasn't home. Sometime during the credits of the second movie, they heard the back door open and Jade walked in. She paid little mind to them as she took off her leather jacket and boots, leaving both by the door. Andre was the one to break the silence, "Hey kid, where've you been?"

Jade didn't meet his eyes, "Out."

Cat looked back at her just in time to see her disappear down the other hallway towards the stairs to the second floor. Jade didn't manage to get by without Cat noticing the not-so-inconspicuous discoloration on her neck and collarbone.

Randy didn't know anything about Cat's idea, and merely chuckled, answering their confused looks, "Little Casanova had a date. Guess she got lucky."

Cat's heart sank. Beck rubbed her arm comfortingly, whispering to her, "That could probably put a damper on your plan, too."

She just buried her head in her hands.

* * *

><p>The next morning Beck awoke to the sound of frantic rustling around his room. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and squinted through the brightness from the sunlight through his windows, seeing Cat hurriedly putting on her shoes without bothering to tie them before grabbing her purse.<p>

"What are you doing?"

"I have to go check on Tori. I haven't been able to get ahold of her since I left her place last night." She left his room before he could respond.

Beck sighed and looked at the alarm clock on his bedside table, seeing it was only 8 in the morning. He got out of bed and followed her, "Slow down, why is this a huge deal? It's only been a few hours."

Cat took the stairs nearly two at a time, despite the fact she was far too short for such a thing, "Because! I gave her the money yesterday and I don't know what Steven will do when he gets it."

He finally grabbed her arm when she got to the living room, not noticing Jade and Randy lounging on the couch, "What on earth are you talking about?"

She didn't notice them either, "That money I borrowed from you was for her! She's in debt with her abusive piece of shit boyfriend, and she is genuinely frightened for her life when he's around. I couldn't just sit by and do nothing!"

"So why are you freaking out now?"

"He's not exactly a nice person. I wouldn't even put it past him to smack her around just for paying early."

Randy gave a look to Jade, who just shrugged, neither knowing what the two were arguing about.

Beck ran his fingers through his hair, "Just wait a second. Hypothetically, what's the _worst_ that could've come from this?"

"Really? That's your question? Okay, the worst would be that he fucking _killed_ her because she obtained 50 grand less than a week after he issued the initial threat!"

"But that's worst case scenario, no?"

Cat snapped. "Beck, I have to go make sure she's alright. If he's done something to Tori-"

Jade's attention immediately shifted over to Cat. Beck groaned, "Give me a second to get dressed and I'll come with you, okay? Then when you see she's perfectly fine, we can go get some breakfast."

"TORI COULD BE FUCKING DEAD AND YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT BREAKFAST?!" It was after that outburst that Cat finally saw Jade and Randy. At the sight of Jade, Cat was done. "I'm leaving, and I don't need any help."

She turned to the door, leaving and slamming it behind her. Beck was too frustrated and annoyed with his girlfriend to notice Jade, and just went back upstairs. Randy, however, was completely aware of the look on Jade's face, and the tension in her muscles.

"So, that just happened," Randy sighed.

Jade just mumbled quietly, "Dead…"

He interlocked his fingers and looked at his friend curiously, "Do tell, Jade. How do you still feel about her?"

She was uncharacteristically broken by that statement, accompanied by Cat's words. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, shaking her head, "I have no idea."

"How was your date?" Randy asked her, expertly hiding his intentions behind his perfected poker face. Jade knew him though.

"I've had better," she ran her fingers over the remnants of the previous night, haphazardly strewn about the skin of her neck, "Still didn't work."

Randy leaned back and crossed his arms, "You know, this reminds me of a fight I had many years ago. It was most memorable by the fact that my opponent and I had scouted each other so well that all we did was counter each other's actions. I threw a kick, he checked. He punched, I dodged. It was a pissing contest until the end, when I did something he didn't expect, and that was when I won."

Jade looked at him for a long moment, slowly deciphering his meaning. The corner of his mouth twitched into a lopsided grin, "We were on the mat, and he was in the full mount, and I managed to slip him up enough to get him into a Kimura. You know I don't do submissions."

"What are you on about?"

He sat up, "You may still be on the defense from her attack however many years ago, but just because you're in guard doesn't mean you can't turn things around into your favor."

"That's assuming Cat finds her in one piece."

"Minor details," he waved her off, "Remember what I taught you about taking the present in stride, and focusing on what _could_ be coming your way. Be prepared. Deal with things as they come, but be prepared."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: First line is from the novel _Cujo_ by Stephen King. I may or may not have just opened the book to a random page and quoted it. I personally am fond of Pit Bulls, and it fits, since Ronda Rousey has a white Pit Bull named Mochi.**


	5. An Offer You Can't Refuse

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Starting where we left off the previous chapter...  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Fucking breakfast," Cat grumbled, stepping out of the elevator and walking down the hallway to Tori's door, deciding not to use her key and just knocking. "Unbelievable."<p>

She waited a moment before she heard footsteps just before the door opened. Steven stood on the other side, leaning slightly on the door as he had an odd look on his face, "What are you doing here?"

"I want to see Tori," she responded, doing her best to act the part of concerned friend.

He shifted his weight and crossed his arms, "She's sleeping."

Cat shook her head, "I still want to see her."

"She had a rough night," Steven still didn't budge. "She needs to rest."

Some part of her told her to choose her next words carefully. "I just need to see she's alright. I won't wake her."

Steven held her gaze for a few moments before he stepped aside, silently offering her entry. Cat stepped past him into the room, and on a last second decision, decided to look at him as if she didn't know where the bedroom was. He tilted his head towards the hallway, leading her down to the very end where he opened a door before giving her one last warning, "I'm serious about her needing rest. Don't bother her. You have one minute."

He walked off, leaving Cat alone. She looked into the bedroom, seeing it was almost completely dark, aside from a few rays of light peeking through the curtains. Cat could barely make out Tori encased in a mound of blankets and pillows on the side nearest to the window. There was a faint smell of marijuana smoke in the air, something that was common around the entirety of her flat. She quickly made her way over to where Tori was laying, surveying her as much as she could. She _seemed_ alright, but just to give herself some peace of mind, she carefully moved one finger under Tori's nose, sighing in relief when she could feel her breathing.

Only a moment later, Steven appeared in the doorway, giving her a look telling her it was time to leave. She left the room but hesitated in the living area, "Why was her night rough?"

He didn't seem nervous or guilty at all as he responded, "She had a minor heroin overdose."

Cat's eyes widened nearly comically, "Overdose?!"

"She injected more than her body's used to. Didn't really help that she was smoking ecstasy laced weed beforehand. But she'll be fine, I took care of it."

"How?"

"I don't think that's your business. I took care of it, she'll be fine, and it's nothing you need to worry about."

She sighed, deciding not to push it, as Tori would probably tell her anyway. "Why did she do it?"

Steven shrugged, "Hell if I know. Seemed like she'd been crying, so I guess something upset her. Fuckin' broke a bottle, glass all over the damn floor. She was saying weird shit too."

"What was she saying?" Cat asked, too intrigued to stop now.

"Just kept apologizing to someone, said a name but I couldn't really make it out. The name started with J, I think. Jake…Jane…John…something like that. There was one other thing just before she went to sleep, sounded like "I'll be here in the morning" which was super weird, cause I mean, why wouldn't she be? She fucking lives here."

She bit her lip and put on the best poker face she could, "That is weird. Well, thank you for letting me see her. Tell her to call me when she wakes up. Please?"

"Yeah, sure…" Cat turned towards the door, but stopped when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She turned around, nearly screaming when she realized how close he was, not to mention the fact her back was right up against the door. He held a small card up against her chin, almost like a knife, "I know that money came from you."

"S-so?" Cat stuttered.

He backed up slightly, a small gesture of peace, "Quite the noble act on your part. I'm sure that by now, you know what kind of relationship Tori and I have. Also…who I am."

She didn't move, "She actually hasn't ever gone into detail about that…"

"Then allow me, please," he lifted up his shirt to reveal a medium sized tattoo on his right pectoral muscle. It was a large S, with the words _Sicilian Brotherhood_ adorning the top and bottom of the surrounding circle. "We'll just go with…I happen to have quite a bit of influence with the right people."

"What do you want from me?"

"What do I want? What I want is for you to give this," he handed her the card, as if he were handing her a bag of weed in a drug trade, "To your boyfriend. Tell him to stop by if he ever needs a hit…first one's free. Ask for S.C."

Cat nodded slowly, trying to ignore the wicked smile on his face as she quickly ducked out of the door. Her mind racing as she made her way down to her car. She started her car and retrieved her phone, finding Beck's name and calling the number before pulling out of the lot. He answered after a few rings, his voice calmer than before, _"How was she?"_

She got herself together enough to offer a neutral response, "Apparently she had a quote unquote 'minor' heroin overdose, according to her boyfriend. She's alive, so I'll take that for what it's worth."

"_So…breakfast?"_

"Actually, I'd like to talk to Randy, ASAP." She actually decided to forget it entirely, in favor of more important things.

Beck hesitated a moment, _"What for?"_

"I'd rather not explain at this moment, since I'm not entirely sure. I just have a feeling he knows something that could be beneficial in the near future."

"_Like what?"_

Cat quietly cursed at a bad driver before answering, "He's known Jade for a number of years, right?"

"_Yeah, he was making a guest appearance at a Taekwondo studio when Jade was like, 6 years old. Course she caught his attention pretty quickly with her inherent skills in all things MMA. Why?"_

"Just call me Lois Lane if this works," Cat grinned, remembering the previous night when they'd watched _Man of Steel._

Beck's eye roll was almost palpable over the phone, as he just sighed, _"Sure, he and Jade are working on Judo right now with Ryan, so come over any time."_

She hung up and pulled into the neighborhood Jade lived in, soon parking in the driveway, now occupied by 3 other cars, and making her way up to the front door, knocking impatiently. Beck opened the door a few seconds later, still wearing his training shorts and a black SFC tank top, "I thought you'd at least wait 5 minutes before showing up."

Cat smiled and shrugged, "I was already headed over here."

He nodded and gestured for her to come inside, leading her just off to the right of the entryway and living area, where a door was standing open, emitting music from within. She descended the stairs into the basement gym, seeing Andre and Robbie standing by watching Jade and another man she hadn't seen before sparring, with Randy leaning on a padded wall nearby shouting instructions at her.

Cujo was lounging happily amongst a pile of training pads and gloves, one paw curled under him and his head resting on the other.

"Randy!" Beck shouted over to them, causing the bald-by-choice man to look over at him.

He whispered something to Jade before jogging over to where the two were standing near the bottom of the stairs, "What's up?"

Beck tilted his head at Cat, "Cat wanted to talk to you."

"What about?"

"Beats me," Beck mumbled, leaving the two alone to go talk to Andre.

Randy patted Cat's shoulder in a gesture for her to follow, leading her over to where the training octagon was, far beyond earshot of the rest, "What's on your mind?"

She got straight to the point, "Jade has a history with Tori, what is it?"

He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms and leaning on the cage wall, "Why do you ask?"

"Because I think it's incredibly important, and I know you know."

Randy glanced over at where Jade still was before speaking to Cat, "What's my incentive to tell you? There's a reason Jade keeps that part of her life under lock and key."

"Please Randy, I just need to know."

"What exactly are you wanting me to tell you?" He asked, just as calm as always, "You want to hear about how Jade was the most withdrawn and apathetic person on the planet after Tori left, and how I just recently got my friend back?"

Cat's brows furrowed, "Why'd she leave?"

"You'd be better off asking her that question. I mean, I've got my ideas, but she's the only one who really knows."

"But…she had to say something when she broke up with Jade."

Randy scratched the back of his neck and shrugged, "She barely said anything at all. Tori was always such a sweetheart, really was, but after that night, it was just like she was a completely different person. Jade was devastated, threw herself into her training, got her 2nd dan in Judo, 3th in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, finished her black belts in Muay Thai and Kyokushin , little shit never even stopped to breathe. It's just been since she's gotten into the SFC she's become an actual person again."

"You're not going to elaborate on why they split, are you?"

He cracked a small smile, "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're a little journalist, no?"

"Actually I'm a cosmetology major, but I have an unofficial minor in journalism."

"You look the type." Cat's expression registered offense, and Randy just chuckled, "I'm saying you're pretty, lay off it. Now, what are you getting at asking me this stuff?"

"I have an idea, it's crazy as hell, but it may just work. I know I need someone close to Jade to even hope to get anywhere, and that's where you come in."

Randy seemed vaguely interested, "Let's hear it then."

* * *

><p>Tori woke up around noon, a dull ache in the back of her skull and a profound stiffness in her entire body. She got out of bed carefully, stretching and running her fingers through her hair before pulling on a pair of sweatpants and leaving the room. Steven was stretched out on the couch, doing some work on his laptop. She went to the kitchen to make some coffee, calling over to him, "So what'd you do?"<p>

His voice was laced with venom, "About what, _dear_?"

"I know I took enough heroin to OD, why didn't I?"

"Because I prevented it. Can't be having your death on my hands because you had a little pissy fit over something. By the way, your friend stopped by."

Tori was confused, "Cat? Why?"

He snorted, "I've got no fucking idea. Probably thought you were dead or something. She wanted you to call her."

"Thanks," Tori mumbled, pulling her phone out of where she'd stuffed it in her pocket, seeing she had at least 5 missed calls and 10 texts from Cat.

Steven stood up and grabbed his jacket, "I've got some business in San Francisco, I'll be back by Wednesday."

"Tomorrow?"

He glanced back at her once, "Next week."

With that, he was gone. Tori sighed and called Cat's number. She answered almost immediately, _"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?"_

"Peachy," Tori grumbled, making herself comfortable on the couch.

"_I stopped by this morning," _Cat began. Tori could hear some shouting and music in the background, slowly fading as Cat seemed to be walking away from it, _"Steven said you overdosed on heroin. Why?"_

"I didn't _try_ to…it just kind of happened. It's a long story, not particularly something I want to get into."

She huffed in frustration, _"Fine, but you owe me an explanation at some point. I was flipping shit this morning, worried sick about you. That's beside the point though, listen, I've got a proposition for you."_

Tori laid back and closed her eyes, "Do you now?"

"_How would you feel about seeing Jade again?"_

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Tori growled, angry that Cat would even say such a thing.

"_I'm serious. I can get everything set up, just say the word."_

"She hates me!"

"_You sure about that?" _The smugness in Cats voice was all too obvious.

She sighed heavily, "What's your idea?"

"_Nothing special. I'll just bring you with me the next time I visit, and what happens, happens."_

"Does she want to see me?"

"_I talked to Randy, you probably remember him. British accent, deliciously muscular, buzz cut, odd shaped ears? Anyway he said that he'd see what he could do, but felt it wouldn't require a ton of convincing as long as she knows you want to see her too."_

Tori was at a loss for words, "I mean…of course I do…but…"

Cat was getting impatient, _"But what? Just say yes!"_

"I don't want to dredge up the past."

"_Oh, don't give me that. I did it, this is my idea. Please?"_

"Fine, when?"

"_Tomorrow?"_

Tori pinched the bridge of her nose, "That's it. You've officially lost your mind."

"_Say no."_

She frowned, "I don't want to."

"_That's what I thought. Hold on a second," _Tori heard some more yelling in the background, followed by a brief conversation before Cat brought the phone back up to her ear, _"So?"_

Tori sighed, "Fine, tomorrow works."

Cat squealed in happiness, making Tori pull the phone a few inches from her ear for a moment, _"Okay, tonight we're totally having a sleepover."_

"Cat, I'm an adult. Adults don't have sleepovers."

"_I'll bring that special wine."_

There was a long pause before Tori broke, "Be here by 9."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Steven's gang is loosely based off of the Aryan Brotherhood, whose logo is similar, and is quite prominent in the Los Angeles area, with their influence reaching into the prisons as well.**

**Randy is also based off of one of my favorite MMA fighters, Georges St-Pierre, who's actually Canadian, with his first name coming from Randy Couture. **


	6. Truth Be Told

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

****A/N: I've added a longer flashback in this one, just to give a better idea of what Jade and Tori's relationship was like before.  
><strong>**

* * *

><p>"I have mixed feelings about lying here in nothing but a pair of pajama pants and a tank top, sipping Chardonnay while watching <em>The Devil Wears Prada<em>."

Tori grinned around the rim of her wine glass, "Because bras are so last year."

"Speaking of which," Cat stifled a giggle, slurring her words slightly, "Is it cold in here or is it just you?"

"Are you calling me-" Tori stopped, looking down at her chest and bursting into laughter, "Stop looking at my nipples!"

Tori poured herself another glass and kicked Cat's leg to get her to stop giggling. Despite her already prominent inebriation, an idea came to mind and she decided to test it before going any further, "So…how's Steven in bed?"

"I feel like it's comparable to those really weird times when you go to someone's house, and they step out of the room for a moment, then their dog starts humping your leg. But like, he's got _zero_ stamina, _god_ it's awful."

With that answer, Cat knew Tori was beyond the point of filtering her words, making it a lot easier to ask her a more personal question. "You ever had sex before him?"

Tori's head fell back against the arm of the couch she was lying against, letting out a drawn out "uhh" sound as she thought, "I mean, there were a few guys after I dropped out of high school, it was the usual "blow me and get a couple lines" kind of thing, nothing super fun or interesting even. One guy was kind of fun, tiny dick but he knew how to eat out a girl."

"Ugh, I can't stand that," Cat groaned, "Yeah, a good eating out is phenomenal, and absolutely a deal breaker if they can't do it, but I need sex. Like real fucking sex."

"Fucking and sex are the same thing, I think," Tori mumbled, not even registering what Cat meant.

"Seriously though, best sex ever was…?" Cat asked, pouring herself another glass as well.

She took a sip and shook her head, "Jade, by far."

Cat raised an eyebrow, "You had sex with her?"

"Once."

"Once?"

Tori drained the last of what was in her glass, "Yeah, I bolted as soon as she was asleep and never talked to her again afterwards. She probably thinks I'm some slut who just wanted sex. Dammit. Fear can make you do the stupidest shit, you know?"

"You pulled a smash and dash? What were you afraid of?" Cat grabbed the nearly empty second wine bottle and refilled both of their glasses.

"My parents," Tori took a large drink from her glass in the middle of her sentence, "Scared the hell out of me. Christian, conservative republicans, _fuck_, I was so scared they'd disown me if they found out. Luckily for me I got that taken care of when I dropped out of high school and started doing drugs."

Cat rested her elbow on the back of the couch and leaned on her hand, "So what happened after you left?"

"I assume Jade woke up and realized I was gone and freaked out. She texted and called nearly a thousand times, all of which I was too terrified to answer. Went back to school on Monday a few minutes early and talked to every teacher in classes I had with her to get my seating changed so I wasn't near her anymore." Tori groaned dramatically, "_God_, you should've seen the look on her face, it was like, right in the middle of depressed and wanting to punch a hole through a brick wall, which I'm fairly certain she's capable of doing. I mean holy fuck have you _seen_ her body?"

She nodded vigorously, "I've always considered myself straight, but shit, first time I saw her she was in the middle of training and _those abs_, I've always had a thing for abs, and girl my pants just about flew across the goddamn room. Was she like that when you two were a thing?"

"She's always been in shape; I mean she's been doing MMA since she was in diapers. She was toned, but didn't have straight up abs or you know, muscles in general. Still never had a problem overpowering me if she wanted to…"

_**Flashback**_

"_What are you watching now?" Tori mumbled, glancing up at Jade's TV for a split second._

"_Randy's fight against Jason Acker."_

_Tori grunted in acknowledgement, turning her attention back to her book, and completely blocking out the television, even though it wasn't quiet in any sense of the word. She was calm, happy, lying in Jade's lap as her fingers played with her hair, occasionally venturing down to trace her jawline, or run across her lips. It was only then that her concentration on her book was broken. "You're making it difficult to read."_

_Jade smirked a bit, which went unnoticed by Tori, who was still submersed in her book, "It wasn't the TV?"_

"_You know that doesn't bother me."_

"_Your ability to completely tune out your surroundings so you can read is phenomenal, bar none."_

_Tori shrugged, moving Jade's hand back to her hair, "I enjoy literature. That doesn't bother you, does it?"_

_She smiled, "Nope. I like the face you make when you read. And your glasses, I like those too."_

_Tori closed her book and set it aside, "I'm pretty sure you've told me a hundred times how much you like my glasses."_

"_So what's one more time?" Jade murmured, running her fingers through Tori's hair, stopping at the back of her head and pulling her closer._

"_Overkill."_

_Jade chuckled, "I've always been taught that overkill is simply ensuring you've won."_

"_Or," Tori moved to straddle Jade's lap, using two fingers to tilt her head up to look at her, "It's invalidating your words of affection."_

"_How about this then," Jade sat up slightly, wrapping her arms around Tori's back._

_Tori raised an eyebrow with a small smile. Her smile widened and she blushed a bit when Jade carefully took Tori's glasses off and set them on top of her book._

"_I love you."_

"_Fine, you win," Tori mumbled, "I love you too. But I was supposed to say it first, you know."_

"_According to who?"_

_Tori threw her hands up, "Me! I had everything planned out in my head!"_

_Jade smiled and shrugged, "Sorry babe, too slow."_

_She shook her head and leaned down to kiss her, speaking between kisses, "It doesn't matter. You love me."_

"_Yep," Jade mumbled, flipping her over and settling herself comfortably on top._

_Tori pulled away from the kiss and frowned, "First you ruin my plans, and then you insist on topping me?"_

"_Pretty much, though top is inherently __**my**__ spot, the fact I ruined your plans is unrelated."_

"_This is what I get for falling in love with an MMA fighter, isn't it?'_

_Jade smirked, leaning down to reconnect their lips, "Yep."_

_**End of Flashback**_

"I miss her," Tori mumbled, barely loud enough for Cat to hear.

"That was why you OD-ed on heroin, isn't it?"

"I kept hearing her voice in my head. That fucking voice, so broken. It fucking haunts me…"

Cat quickly shifted the conversation before Tori got too upset, "You were happy with her."

Tori smiled, "So happy. It was incredible, because she was that best friend that I was just so in love with, and she felt the same way. Every moment with her was so perfect," she stopped and lightly ran the side of her index finger over her bottom lip, "You know those moments when you're kissing someone, and you're just so caught up in the moment that you forget to breathe, and you suddenly just exhale, through your mouth or nose, and you feel them do the same… Jade did that a lot."

She just seemed to be rambling at that point, so Cat joined in, "Bet she's a biter."

"Oh yeah. Worst and best part about it, she figured me out so well, she knew just where and when to have me falling to pieces in her arms."

"I can't imagine how that would ever be bad, honestly."

Tori tilted her glass at her, "It was bad when we were out in public, and she'd bite my neck, then I'd just be nothing but a puddle of mush trying to remember any words other than her name and various curses."

"That'd certainly do it," Cat sighed heavily, "So what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"I don't know," she mumbled, closing her eyes and leaning on the back couch cushion. "The worst part going into this is knowing that the last time I ever saw her, she told me she hated me. Now, she's rich and famous and _successful_, and I'm just…not. Can you believe I'm 22 years old and _still_ in the closet?"

"Actually, I can. But you've gotta at least remember the woman you're talking about. She's far too humble to let any of that cloud her judgment. Her entire view on you will be based on whatever shitstorm you stirred up all those years ago."

Tori frowned, "Was that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it and say this is going to be easy, because it won't be."

"Are you done yet?"

Cat looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Point is, she's a different person. You're a different person. The world's a different place."

Tori snorted and took a sip of her wine, "This just in: Cat's a philosopher while drunk."

"Bite me. What I'm trying to say is this is a chance to start over for you guys, you know? Most important thing, from what Randy told me, is that it is glaringly obvious that you want this as much as she does. You can bet your ass she won't act like she wants it, but she does."

"Can I go to sleep?" Tori mumbled, already almost unconscious.

"You're insufferable."

"I'm cute too."

* * *

><p>Randy was unwinding the tape from Jade's hands after a long day of training, giving her some time to wind down before she retired for the night.<p>

"You did really well today. I'm proud of you."

She smiled at him, "Thanks. This just isn't something I can afford to lose."

"Believe me, I know. But just think, after you beat Zeno, you'll be fighting Caperi, and if you beat her, you'll be on your way to being the new champion. The best pound-for-pound female mixed martial artist in the world. Everything you've ever dreamed of."

"It just feels like I'm missing something. I mean, no matter how many fights I win, no matter how many unsurpassable things I beat into the ground, it just feels like something's missing."

"Like…" Randy grinned up at her, "A beautiful lady on your arm? You know, one to come to all your fights, cheer you on, give you a little smoochie smoochie when you win?"

Jade laughed and shook her head, "You're insane."

"That's it though, isn't it?"

She shrugged, "Maybe."

"Speaking of which…I was talking to Cat earlier, and she has a proposition for you."

"Does she now?"

"She wants you and Tori to see each other again."

"Why?" Jade asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

Randy shrugged and tossed the tape and gauze into the trashcan, "Because she's watched too many chick flicks and wants you to star in a fairy tale that she's directing."

"What's her idea?"

He rubbed his chin for a moment, "Something about her coming over tomorrow for dinner, as she was already planning to do, and bringing her."

Jade's eyes widened, "She can't come over tomorrow!"

"Why?" He asked.

"Randy, Mikey's going to be here tomorrow. His dad's dumping him on me because he's a piece of shit father, remember? I told you yesterday."

"She can meet him then!" His idea was met with a ferocious glare. "I mean, she's got no right to be mad about it. He's a part of your life; she'd just have to accept that. Besides, you gotta admit he's the cutest damn 4 year old in the world."

Jade growled in frustration, standing up and running her fingers through her hair angrily, "How cute he is, is fucking irrelevant! God dammit, I told that mother fucking piece of shit that Mikey was _not _going to be my responsibility!"

Randy stood up as well, grabbing Jade's shoulders, "Jade, it's one day. One very poorly planned day. You owe it to Mikey to take care of him on the off days his father can't."

"I can't raise a kid while in the midst of building up my MMA career. I wouldn't be any better than his dad!"

"It's only every once and a while. Come on, you've had it easy your whole life. You come from money, you never went to college, and you beat the hell out of people for a paycheck. It's time to step up and take responsibility, for Mikey, and for Tori."

"Whoever said I want Tori back?" Jade responded, crossing her arms.

Randy nearly howled in laughter, stepping away from her, "Right, next you're gonna tell me you don't want food. I'm not gonna force you into anything, just sleep on it. If you still don't want her to come tomorrow, say the word and I'll call it off."

* * *

><p>The next morning, after returning from her usual morning run, Jade went to the kitchen for her breakfast. Randy was already sitting at the island, devouring a plate of eggs and sausage. He glanced over and spoke through a mouthful of food, "Made up your mind yet? Jeff's gonna be here in a bit to drop off Mikey."<p>

Jade sighed and sat down with her own plate, "She can come over."

Randy nodded, nearly swallowing his food whole, "Cool. If you want to go take a quick shower, I can watch for him."

She finished her food in record time, pushing the plate away and standing up, "Don't let him leave. He and I need to talk."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What a past. It seems things are starting to get better, however there will always be complications.**

**Now, the question remains...Who's Mikey?**


	7. We Meet Again

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: After this chapter, I will try to make these longer. However I wanted to get this one out since I'm going to be busy the next few days, and I'm not entirely sure how often I'll get a chance to write.  
><strong>

**Also, I noticed that random words or even parts of sentences get deleted for reasons unknown while editing. I've gone back through and tried to fix them all, but I may have missed some.**

* * *

><p><strong>Jade's POV<strong>

I finished up in the shower and got dressed for a day void of training, since there was going to be a curious little boy here all day, making it difficult to swear in frustration when I don't get something right. Once I got downstairs to the living area, with Cujo right by my side, I saw Jeff standing near the couch, looking annoyed, while Randy was entertaining Mikey.

As soon as he saw me he had the biggest smile on his face, wrestling out of Randy's grip and running towards me with his arms out, "Jay!"

I picked him up and hugged him, "Hey little man, how've you been?"

"Good," he responded with the generic child answer, still smiling brightly. "I missed you, Jay!"

"I missed you too buddy. Hey, I got some new gloves for you, just like you asked. You wanna go see them?"

He nodded excitedly, nearly jumping out of my arms and running towards the basement door. I nodded at Randy to go distract him while I talked to Jeff. As soon as they were both gone and the basement door closed, I looked to Jeff, "So what's the excuse today?"

The corner of Jeff's lip curled up in a contemptuous snarl, looking at Cujo who was sitting guard behind me, almost in fear. He quickly composed himself, "I have things to do. I figured Michael didn't want to sit through my business meetings or travel all day."

I scoffed and shook my head, "It's _Mikey_. You know that."

"Whatever. What do you want, Jade?"

"I just wanted to say that I want you to bring him here if you have plans, because I don't want him to have to deal with that shit if he doesn't have to."

Jeff shrugged, "Fine. Is that all you wanted?"

I took a deep breath to keep my anger under control, "Yeah. That's it. When are you picking him up?"

"Whenever I get here," he grumbled, not even bothering to turn around as he walked out the door.

"Fucking prick," I growled, locking the door behind him and heading towards the basement.

Mikey ran towards me as soon as I got to the bottom of the stairs, holding up his hands to show me his new gloves, "Look Jay! They're like yours!"

I smiled and knelt down to his level, "They sure are. I got them just for you. They're just like the ones I use for my fights."

"One day I'll be a fighter just like you," he smiled at me.

I looked at him closer, seeing the dark circles under his eyes and frowning, "When was the last time you slept, bud?"

He shrugged and rubbed his eyes, "I fell asleep on the couch last night but daddy made me get up early this morning so we could come here."

"How about a nap then, huh?"

"Okay," he agreed easily, something I knew he'd never do unless he was exhausted. "Can Cujie sleep with me?"

I cringed at the nickname for my otherwise incredibly badass dog but nodded anyway, moving to take his gloves off, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Come on, let's go get you in bed."

He held out his arms and I picked him up, carrying him up the two flights of stairs to the second floor, kicking open the door to one of the guest bedrooms, usually reserved for him. I set him down on the bed and grabbed a pair of pajamas I kept there for him, tossing them over to him so he could change into something comfortable while I closed the blinds to keep out the sunlight.

Mikey called to Cujo, patting the bed next to him. Cujo looked to me for confirmation before trotting over and settling himself comfortably next to him. I closed the door and sighed.

At some point I needed to smack Jeff upside the head with a brick.

* * *

><p><strong>Tori's POV<strong>

"I seriously think it's impossible at this point for you to look any gayer."

I rolled my eyes and put the finishing touches on my eyeliner, "I'm not_ trying_, I just love plaid, which happens to be an iconic trademark of lesbians. Purely coincidental."

Cat just scoffed and left the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror, happy with how well I managed to clean up. I didn't even smell like weed anymore after my shower and a couple spritzes of perfume. I went out to the living area of Cat's flat, where she was, and put on my shoes. She stopped to check a text and squealed, "Andre's making steaks for dinner, hell yes!"

"Is he a good chef?" I asked, tying my shoes and tucking the ends of my pant legs into them.

She nodded, "Yeah. He makes all of Jade's meals, which is a difficult job from what Beck said."

"Why's that?"

"Beck counts calories like a size negative model, it's insane. He said it's so they can make the most of her weight or something."

"So she stays in her weight class," I said, remembering when Jade told me about the weight classes in MMA and why they were so important.

Cat shrugged, "Something like that, but I guess it's so they know when to train and when to exercise or something. Anyway, you ready to go?"

I nodded and stood up, tucking my phone in my back pocket and following her out the door and to her car. About 20 minutes into the drive, my nerves were really acting up, and I could barely sit still. Cat looked over and grinned a bit, "You going to be okay?"

"I'm so nervous," I admitted.

"I know. But remember she agreed to this, it's not she's going to see you and kick you out."

"For some odd reason, that doesn't make me feel better."

She rolled her eyes and turned into an extremely fancy looking neighborhood, "Relax, okay? Everything's going to be fine."

I looked around the addition, seeing all the mansions lining the streets, every single one screaming "I have copious amounts of money." Cat drove to the end of one street and pulled into the driveway of a large stone and glass house. Another car was already sitting in the driveway, and I looked at Cat curiously, gesturing towards the car with my eyes.

"Randy's car, he's usually here."

I remembered Randy and was happy that I was able to see him again.

"Come on," Cat said, turning off the car, "Let's go."

I sighed and followed her up the walkway to the front door, which opened before we even got there. A dog I assumed was Cujo ran out to greet us. He licked Cat's hand once before looking to me, sniffing me thoroughly. I frowned, "I feel like I'm being judged."

Beck, who was standing at the now open door just laughed, "You're new, he's gotta memorize your scent."

Cat went inside and I followed close behind. I looked around in amazement; the house was incredibly light considering who owned it. A lot of the black leather furniture made up for the lack of darkness. To the left was a short hallway, which emitted a smell of food that made my mouth water. To the right of the entryway, there were a couple doors down a longer hallway, which led to a staircase. In the living area, there was seating that formed a sort of half square, all around a huge flatscreen TV. In the small open area between the couch and TV, I saw Randy and a young boy, quite tall but still young looking. His hair was dark, and he had light blue eyes, just like Jade.

Just…like…Jade…

My heart sank. I studied him closer as he laughed; trying to replicate the stance Randy was showing him. He looked _just_ like Jade.

"I didn't know Mikey was going to be here," Cat said to Beck, smiling at the little boy.

Beck shrugged, "His dad dropped him off this morning."

Cat finally noticed how I still hadn't moved and whispered to me, "Are you okay?"

"Who's he?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Mikey? He's Jade's brother. Well, half-brother."

It felt like a thousand pound weight was lifted off my heart, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Randy stood up, walking over to me and giving me a grin, "Long time no see, huh?"

I shrugged, "Guess so."

He laughed and pulled me into a hug, "It's nice to see you again."

Randy looked back at the now curious boy, patting his shoulder and steering him towards the kitchen, "Let's go see how Andre's doing with dinner, huh?"

Cat gave me a reassuring smile before she and Beck followed as well, leaving me alone in the living room with Cujo, who still seemed fascinated with me. Only a few seconds later, someone whistled from the kitchen, and he took off running, leaving me completely alone.

I took a deep breath, only to have my heart skip a few beats when I heard footsteps on the stairs. I looked to the right, and time seemed to slow as Jade rounded the corner. I always thought these scenes were so cliché in movies, but it really does feel as if time slows and your heart is about to explode when you see someone you haven't seen for so long. Someone you were so in love with, and quite possibly still could be.

Her style had barely changed since I last saw her, still in her default black jeans, but now with a dark grey button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Even without shoes on, she had a good 6 inches on me, something I didn't recall about her.

Jade's eyes met mine and I couldn't help the huge smile that overcame my face. She seemed to be standing only a few feet away in half a second's time. I threw caution to the wind and pulled her into a hug. It felt like hours before she hugged back, but in reality was probably barely more than a second. I buried my face in her neck and just cried, unable to retain any control over myself.

"I missed you so much."

Her grip on me tightened. At that point, I cared little about anything that wasn't her. I'd been deprived of the feeling of being in her arms for so long, too long, and it truly felt as if I'd reached nirvana feeling her body so close to mine again.

"I missed you too."

"Jade…" I whispered, pulling away only enough to be able to look into her eyes. I held her face in my hands, pressing my forehead against hers, repeating her name like a mantra. "I'm so sorry, Jade. I'm sorry for everything. I know you hate me for what I did but I swear I never wanted things to turn out like that."

She just stood there and looked at me for such a long time, it almost felt as if she were trying to memorize every detail of my eyes. As I looked at her, I noticed a small scar on the bridge of her nose, near her left eye. Without thinking, I lightly ran my thumb over it.

"I didn't dodge in time, punch broke my nose," she mumbled, shrugging as if it were as mundane as a paper cut.

Jade hugged me again, and I swore to myself that I'd never let her get away again. It didn't matter what life threw at me anymore, I knew what my constant was. We were both damaged so badly, but somehow, I knew it was nothing beyond repair.

"We need to talk about this…us, after dinner, okay?"

I nodded, glad she was giving me a chance to explain myself, even though I knew I wasn't deserving of it. She smiled and gave me an "after you" gesture towards the kitchen. As soon as we walked in, Mikey ran over to Jade, who picked him up effortlessly, walking over to the stove to talk to Beck, who seemed to be writing something in a notebook.

I stood next to Cat, who nudged me with her shoulder, a smug grin on her face. I blushed and whispered to her, "Shut up."

"I never said anything."

Randy and another man I figured was Andre returned to the kitchen from the patio just outside. Andre was carrying a tray of steaks while Randy went over to the refrigerator, which happened to be just behind Cat and I, to grab a few beverages.

"What would you ladies like to drink?" He asked us. "We've got beer, Pepsi, or water."

"Pepsi for both of us, please," Cat answered without hesitation, giving me a look that offered no room for argument.

He set down four beers and two Pepsis on the island countertop, opening all of the beers without the need of a bottle opener before grabbing two glasses from the cupboard and pushing them towards Cat and I along with the cans.

"Can you grab some apple juice for Mikey?" Jade asked him.

Randy went back to the fridge and grabbed a jug of apple juice along with a plastic cup with the SFC logo on it. He filled the cup about halfway with water and some ice, filling the rest with apple juice. Mikey ran over and waited for his cup to be handed to him, taking a big drink when it was.

Beck and Andre were discussing what sounded like what to give Jade for her meal, while Jade occasionally snickered at them.

"They should know by now that Jade always eats more than they give her," Randy whispered to us, an amused smile on his face.

The two finally gave up and gave Jade her steak along with a mixture of vegetables and a baked potato. Randy got the same, but both Beck and Andre offered over small portions of their steak for an extra plate that it seemed Jade was getting ready for Mikey, as the steak was cut into smaller, more manageable pieces. Cat and I split one steak, neither of us eating nearly enough to rationalize our own. The guys had gotten seated around the table near the sliding glass door, which led to the patio, Cat sat down next to Beck, while Mikey was sat between Jade and Randy, leaving the only available seat next to Jade.

I mouthed a simple "fuck you" to Cat, who just gave me her best innocent smile, dimples and all. Beck and Andre went back and forth asking me questions, I assume to get to know me better. Among them; "where do you work?" "I don't" and "where do you live?" "Florence."

They both looked at me like I was insane. Luckily Cat came to my defense, "The nice part of Florence."

"I didn't realize such a thing existed," Randy chuckled.

I scoffed, "It doesn't."

"Where do you live?" Randy asked Cat.

"Near University Park."

Beck grinned, "Though she pretty much spends all her free time in the fashion district."

"It feels like home," Cat shrugged.

I finally looked over at Jade, who'd almost completely devoured every bit of food on her plate, only a few stray green beans remaining. "I see you still eat as fast as always."

"I don't want it to get cold," she smirked.

"I thought it was 'cause you're addicted to food?"

Jade looked at Mikey, putting her forefinger over her lips in a shushing gesture, "Quiet, boy."

He nodded and pretended to zip his lips and throw away the key, only to look back at his food, stare at it for a moment, then look at Jade with wide eyes, as if he were saying "what have I done?" making us all burst out laughing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: As I've probably mentioned before, I tend to write what I know, or at least include elements of what I know. Since I myself have a younger half-sibling with a near two decade age gap, I decided to add that in, as it'd be relatively easy for me to get down the personality and general attitude of Mikey. I've formulated an interesting back story for him, most of which took place after Tori left, and will be revealed in the next chapter.**

**The areas I mentioned do exist. University Park is between Florence and West Hollywood, where Jade currently resides. The Fashion District is exactly what it sounds like, and a place that someone like Cat would be elated to spend all of her free time in. I chose Florence for Tori based on average crime rates (in the specific category I was looking for) and its relative distance to where Cat lives.**

**Leave a review and let me know how this story is going so far.**


	8. The Talk

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: This took so much longer than I would have liked, but that doesn't matter. Read on.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>After dinner, Jade insisted we wait for a bit before having our 'talk'. It was well past 10 in the evening when there was an impatient knock on the front door, followed by the doorbell ringing. Mikey sat up from where he had fallen asleep in Jade's lap, rubbing his eyes tiredly and looking at her.<p>

"Daddy's here, time to go home, okay?"

"I don't wanna," he mumbled, lying back down in her lap.

Jade sighed, "I know buddy, but you need to or daddy's not going to be happy."

She stood up, picking up the boy and carrying him over to the door, where a man I'd never seen before was standing on the porch. It was clear from the look the two exchanged that neither were at all fond of the other. I was curious who the man was, and why the two held such animosity toward each other.

"I'm honestly quite surprised Jade hasn't ripped his head off yet," Randy grumbled once both had gone back outside.

"Who is he?" I asked him.

Randy jerked his thumb towards the door, "Jeff? Just some prick Jade's mom married after the divorce."

I remembered consoling Jade for weeks after she got the announcement that her parents were splitting, around the time we were 15, but I'd never once heard of 'Jeff'. One question remained though. "Where's her mom?"

I immediately regretted asking, as everyone in the room seemed to take on an incredibly somber look. It seemed as if Randy was about to answer, but the front door reopened, and Jade walked inside. She looked at me expectantly, and with a little reassuring nudge from Cat, I got up and followed her lead, Cujo right behind us. We went down the hallway I saw to the right when I walked in the house originally and came to a split staircase that went up, turned to the left, then the rest of the way to the second floor. The stairway opened up to a large lounge type room, which had a few toys for children strewn about the floor. Due to the lack of light, I couldn't see much else in the room. Just beyond it was a corridor with multiple doors on both sides, but one set of double doors at the very end of the hallway.

"Your room?" I asked, pointing down to the set of doors.

She smirked, "I had to take the biggest room. Wait here, I need to get something from my room, but there's something I want to show you."

I did as she said and waited while she went down the hallway to her room. Only a few seconds later, she came back out, closing the door behind her and going back to one locked door near where I was standing, just to my right. This door in particular stood out slightly, as it had a completely different design to the rest of the single doors in the hallway, this one being entirely black, while the others were either white or a light wood. She picked out one key from the keychain she was holding and unlocked the door.

"Close your eyes."

I laughed a bit but did as she said. "I had this addition put on soon after I moved in. It's my space, which is why it's always locked."

She opened the door and I hear Cujo walk on inside. I felt her hand on my lower back, gently pushing me through the door. The light coming through my eyelids got brighter as she turned on the lights in the room.

"Okay," she whispered, her voice surprisingly close behind me. "Open them."

My eyes struggled to adjust to the change in light only for a moment before I was able to look around the large room. There were windows all along the far side of the room, showcasing something I hadn't noticed before; the fact the back of her house overlooked Hollywood. To add to the beauty of the skyline view, there were skylights lining the ceiling, giving a decent view of the stars overhead, if weather permitted, which it did tonight. A very comfortable seating arrangement, similar to the one in the living area, around the windows made it quite obvious this room was just for relaxation.

Jade went over to one end of the couch, stretching out and making herself comfortable, while Cujo did the same next to her, lying his head in her lap. I followed her silent invitation and sat down as well with a respectable amount of distance between us.

"So…what's the deal with Mikey?" I asked, likely too curious for my own good.

Jade sighed, focusing on the hand that was petting Cujo. "My mom married Jeff around the time I turned 17. I was never particularly fond of him, since he was nothing short of insufferable to be around. So I moved in with my dad, which practically crushed my mom's heart. But since I couldn't find it in myself to make her choose, and I didn't want Jeff bothering me during my training anymore, or at all, I just left. Soon after they got married, too soon, if you ask me, my mom announced that she was pregnant. Doctors told her left and right that the risk of complications in the birth was too severe, and urged her to abort the baby to preserve her own life. I begged her not to take the chance, but she just said to me "Jade, if I'm going to die, I want to die bringing life into this world." Her one dying wish was that I made sure Mikey was going to be okay. She also made it very clear that his name was going to be Michael Lee West, so he'd have the same last name as me, something that rubbed Jeff in all the wrong ways. She always had a tendency to call him Mikey, and said that would be her nickname for him if she lived through the birth. But, she didn't. She died in labor, but Mikey was just fine. No birth defects, illnesses, anything. Perfect. I had a lot of ill feelings toward him for a while, but considering I've been the only woman in his life thus far, he spent quite a while thinking I was his mother. I wasn't going to correct him, because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the "where's my mom?" question, but eventually Jeff had enough and just blew up on him, yelled at him that I was his sister, not his mother, and that his mother was dead because of him. That was the turning point for me. Since then I've felt nothing but love toward him, and nothing but hate towards Jeff. Once I get my life stable enough for it, I'm going to take custody of him. Jeff's blowup happened when Mikey was only 2, and I doubt he remembers most of it, but he acts as if he doesn't like Jeff regardless."

I knew how much Jade loved her mom, and it hurt to know she didn't have her anymore. I frowned, not entirely sure what to say. Jade continued speaking though, "I've told Jeff multiple times that Mikey's his son, his responsibility, but it's become increasingly more obvious that he's not about to take any responsibility for him. It's up to me, I guess."

"I know you can handle it if you do have to take him in. Besides, think of it this way, he already loves you, and he loves what you do. It'd be an easy way for you two to relate and bond, probably a lot better than him and his father do."

She smiled a bit, "Enough about me though, what's been going on with you?"

I huffed, shaking my head, "The truth?"

"It'd be safe to assume that'd be the best way to go."

"Well, you remember when I dropped out, right?"

Jade shrugged, "I mean, all I really knew was that you suddenly stopped showing up."

"That, then. I stopped coming for multiple reasons, mostly stemming from the fact I was too depressed to get out of bed. As soon as the school system began contacting my parents about my questionable attendance, I dropped out. My parents weren't happy, at all. So I told them to give me their blessing to move out, and I'd be out of their hair. They said no, originally, so I upped the ante a bit. I let them find some weed in my room, left out in the open, mind you. My dad activated cop mode and searched my room, which is where he found the final nails in the coffin. Coke and," I coughed once nervously, "used condoms."

At that, I expected her to get pissed off and throw a fit or something. She just chuckled slightly behind a hand covering her mouth, "Go on."

"They let me move out after that. I just shuffled around between friends, who continuously introduced me to new drugs, around that time I'm pretty sure I was high more than sober, which was absolutely fine with me, kind of what I was going for."

"Why's that?"

"Have you ever heard the Tove Lo song _Habits_?"

She shook her head, "Nope."

I grabbed my phone from my pocket and looked for the lyrics, handing it to her. I watched the slight movements of her eyes as she read, her eyebrows furrowing the further she got. She handed my phone back, "Fair enough, I suppose. So can I get the story behind why Cat borrowed 50 grand from us?"

"I've had a…system…worked out with my dealer and boyfriend of sorts, and I thought it was sufficient. Suddenly he gave me this ridiculously unobtainable number and said he wanted it within a month, and I panicked."

"That one morning Cat was losing her shit screaming at Beck about how you might be dead, why?"

I shrugged, looking out the window, "Cat knows about the relationship Steven and I had, and probably assumed he hurt me, rather than me hurting myself, which was the actual case."

"What did you do?" She asked quickly. From the tone of her voice, it was clear that she didn't actually know what happened.

"I had one of my uh…breakdowns, and looked at a needle full of heroin and thought "oh what a brilliant idea" and it wasn't, really."

Jade didn't take her eyes off of me for at least 30 seconds of tense silence. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"I deserve it," I answered without even thinking. "I don't deserve anything good after what I did to you."

"As much as I'd be inclined to agree with that, considering the mindset I had for a good 3 years, I want your side of things. To this day I still don't know why you left. I mean, was I _really_ that bad?"

I laughed in spite of myself, highly amused that through it all, she still had the heart to joke about it. That was my Jade. I shook my head and picked my next words carefully, and to prove that I was being genuine, I made sure to look her in the eye as I spoke. "Jade, I understand that my words have zero to no credibility anymore, but if you're to believe anything I ever say, believe this: what we had was real. I meant it with my entire heart and soul every time I told you I loved you, and that last night we spent together was the best night of my life. Nothing, and I mean _nothing,_ that happened was your fault."

"So why did you leave?"

"This is a long shot, but do you possibly remember only a few minutes after we…finished," I cringed at my atrocious word choice, "that I got a text?"

Jade seemed just as amused by my wording, "Yeah, you looked at it then seemed off afterwards, what was it?"

"It was a text from my mother, god I still remember what it said. She told me how her good friend Karen's daughter came out as a lesbian, and how embarrassed her mother was. That's fine, I never really knew them and it didn't affect me much. But she ended the text with "so glad my girls are normal xoxo" and I lost it."

Her face registered realization and she nodded, but stayed silent. I sighed, "I waited until you were asleep, got dressed, and left. I called my sister for a ride, and considering she picked me up from your house, and my hair all but screamed sex, she looked at me once and said "You got the text too, didn't you?" I told her I did, and I cried the whole way home. She stayed with me that night, but I just kept crying. I'm sure you remember that was a Saturday night, and the next day I just sulked in my bedroom. Come Monday, I got all my seating changed so I wasn't near you, in some hopes that suddenly I'd stop being in love with you, and be the perfect little straight girl my mother wanted. I tried so hard, but eventually seeing you almost every day was too much, and I couldn't do it anymore. That's when I stopped going, and eventually dropped out."

"And that was when you started doing drugs," she continued knowingly.

"How's that for a sob story?" I laughed humorlessly.

Jade shrugged, "I've heard better. I'm not going to say what you did was okay, but if it's any consolation, I at least get why you did it. I mean, I spent so long thinking you hated me. Originally I thought you just needed some time to yourself, but I sat on the side and waited for you to come back, but...you never did."

The broken tone of her voice nearly crushed me. "Tell me though," she continued out of nowhere, catching me off-guard, "Was it worth it?"

"Leaving you?" She nodded. "No, not at all. Haven't gone a day without beating myself up over it, or letting someone else beat me up for it. My parents hate me anyway, so basically I ruined my life over nothing."

"So what made you come back?"

"It's impossible to say no to Cat. I didn't want to, honestly. I never wanted to bring up something that you could've been over, already moved on," I sighed and shook my head, "Had someone else."

She nearly snorted at that, "You say that as if I haven't tried. Believe me, I have. But it's so incredibly difficult to find a meaningful relationship when your subconscious compares every person you see to the only other person you actually had a connection with. Resorting to sex is pretty sleazy, but it was the only choice I had, really."

That statement made my heart ache, though I knew I was in no position to feel indignant. She had every right to do whatever she could to move on, I knew that, but the thought of her with someone else still hurt. I didn't realize how long I'd been silent until she spoke up again, "So if you don't like this guy, why are you still with him?"

"Getting away from him really isn't in the cards at this point. Even if he were to suddenly be fine with me leaving, there's still the fact I'm addicted to drugs, and any other dealer I know of is at least in some way associated with him."

"Why don't you quit?" She asked, looking at me seriously.

I shrugged and picked at a loose stitch on the inseam of my jeans. "I don't really know how to live without drugs at this point in time. It's scary to think about a life where I don't have those moments of complete euphoria, where I don't feel pain."

"What does it feel like? The high?"

It was a weird question coming from her. I'd gotten that question so many times from others, which was typical, hell, even Cat asked soon after we met. But from a professional athlete, it was completely out of left field. I bit my lip and decided to formulate something better than my usual answer, which involved endorsing the hell out of whatever product the person was interested in, simply to get them into the trade as well. Ultimately, to profit Steven.

"It's…comforting," I started, forcing myself to look at her as I spoke, as much as my anxiety willed me to look anywhere else. "The high isn't like people usually think, all giggles and stupid words. For me, the first time I ever got high, and probably one of the most intense highs I ever had due to my utter lack of tolerance for the drug. I was lying in a bed at a friend's house and she gave me the first injection of heroin. I lay back after that and closed my eyes. It was like I was sinking into the bed, there was nothing but comfort surrounding me. There were even brief moments when I felt like my body was moving on its own, which was weird, but I liked it. Sometimes it was like I was dreaming while awake when I closed my eyes, seeing vivid recollections of things that made me happy. That part is my favorite, I think, because sometimes it feels so real."

"What kinds of things did you see?"

"Like I said, things that made me happy. More often than not, I found myself back in your bedroom, reading some book I'd picked up. I never can make out the words, but it seems like that book is everything until I hear you make some offhand comment about someone's stance, or a move they messed up, or something in regards to whatever fight you were watching at the time. The picture would clear up in my mind until I could _feel_ your fingers playing through my hair or your arm wrapped around me, and the usually left portion of your body against my back, since your dominant hand was always so busy with your phone or the remote or something." I chuckled as I remembered her overly passionate declaration of how she adored my company, but had needs, which mainly consisted of electronics. "Just those moments when I was at peace, mentally and physically."

She had a quiet smile as she looked back at me fondly, probably remembering those times as well. "So that's why you do it."

I nodded, "That was the intent originally, and sometimes even still, whenever I get a quiet moment. Otherwise, it's just to feed the addiction."

"What if I helped you quit?"

My brows furrowed in confusion, "How?"

Jade shrugged passively, "You could stay here, get away from Steven, live in a drug free environment and be safe."

"I couldn't ask you to-"

"You're not asking, I'm offering."

The offer was tempting, extremely tempting, but she didn't know what she was getting herself into. I shook my head, "I can't let you put yourself in danger like that."

She sat up, annoying Cujo enough that he trudged over to lie on the floor near the windows. Jade almost looked amused, "Out of the people who live here most of the time, any one of us is entirely capable of holding our own in a fight. There's not a whole lot for us to be afraid of."

I hated to say this, but I knew there probably wasn't any other way of deterring her. "I really doubt all the MMA in the world could stand against a group of men with no lack of firearms."

From the look on her face, I knew she assumed I was declining for an entirely different reason, as the rejection was clear as day. She quickly shook her head, "Just think about it."

I nodded, not wanting to do any further damage. Jade shifted the conversation to something easier, "Did you guys plan on staying here tonight?"

"Cat probably was, I just planned on going with whatever she did." I sighed and looked at my phone to see the time. It was clear that since we hadn't left by now, we weren't going home tonight. I looked up at Jade and spoke without even thinking, "What do you say we start over? Be friends, or whatever."

Jade raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching in amusement at the incredibly awkward way I presented the question. She nodded, her smile turning into something more genuine, "I'd like that."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: _Habits_ by Tove Lo is a brilliant song to describe Tori's current lifestyle, I think. Review and tell me what you think and where these two could possibly be heading.**


End file.
